Antimicrobial compositions include materials which have the ability to sanitize and/or disinfect. It is generally recognized that a sanitizing material greatly reduces the microorganisms existing on a hard surface and that a disinfecting material eliminates the microorganisms existing on a hard surface. However, current antimicrobial compositions, including sanitizers and disinfectants, contain antimicrobial agents which are not naturally occurring. For example, typical antimicrobial agents used in sanitizers and disinfectants include phenolic compounds, quaternary compounds, and halogen containing compounds. Such materials are not natural and are prepared through chemical processing and synthesis.
Antimicrobial ingredients often are difficult to prepare in a form which permits easy incorporation into an aqueous media. Often these antimicrobial ingredients are not easily dispersed in water and can be lumpy materials, wet pastes or viscous liquids. In such forms, active antimicrobial ingredients are often difficult to handle and pose problems when attempts are made to incorporate them into a final aqueous mixture.
Thus, it would be desirable to produce antimicrobial compositions used to treat hard surfaces which are easy to formulate into a homogenous aqueous mixture. Such a form would aid in the application and the efficacy of the resulting antimicrobial composition. Moreover, because of environmental concerns, it would be desirable to use more natural and environmentally acceptable antimicrobial ingredients in consumer products such as sanitizers, disinfectants and disinfectant cleaners.
Both synthetic essential oils and naturally occurring botanical essential oils have been mentioned for fragrant, medicinal, antiseptic and insecticidal uses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,985 discloses emulsions of essential oils, such as methyl salicylate, that are impregnated into water insoluble resins. Thymol, a compound found in thyme oil, is also mentioned. The impregnated solid resin is used to disseminate a fragrance or medicinal vapor into a room. This patent also asserts that the resin may be impregnated with a sanitizing material but does not identify any such sanitizing material specifically for use.
Essential oils are volatile oils distilled or extracted from plants. Typical essential oils are those obtained from thyme, lemongrass, citrus, anise, clove, aniseed, roses, lavendar, citronella, eucalyptus, peppermint, camphor, sandalwood, cinnamon leaf and cedar. Essential oils are widely used in perfumery, as food flavorings, medicine and solvents. However, because of their hydrophobic nature, essential oils cannot easily be formulated into aqueous mixtures.